Dehradun: Gurveer Singh Talwar, a 22-year-old cadet who graduated from the Indian Military Academy on Saturday made his family proud by being the fifth generation to have joined the Indian Army and to win the silver medal for standing overall second at the academy.While stories of father and son, as well as siblings serving in the defence forces is common but five generations of a family to have served in the army is a rarity.Talking to TOI, Gurveer said that his great-great grandfather, Subedar Major Diwan Singh fought for the British Empire in World War I while his great-grandfather, Col. Wariyam Singh served in the British Army in World War II. Gurveer’s grandfather, Major General HF Talwar participated in the 1962 war with China.Gurveer's father, Col KS Talwar, said that Major General HF Talwar was serving in the Indian Army during the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and was captured by the Chinese soldiers as prisoner of war. However, he was later sent to India after the war ended and tension between the two countries eased.Gurveer says his grandfather’s story inspired him to join the military.“Despite all the torture and pressure from the Chinese army, my grandfather did not relent and never revealed any secrets. His story has been told in my family for years and this inspired me to join the military from my childhood,” Gurveer said.Col KS Talwar said that Gurveer had a clear mindset from his early teens that he wanted to join the army and that’s why he got into the Rashtriya Indian Military College from where he joined the Indian Military Academy. “His goal was clear that he wanted to join the army and his performance both at the RIMC and now IMA are a testament to that,” he said.The silver medalist will now join 6/11 Gurkha Regiment.

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